June 16-30

Excerpts from
THE RULE OF BENEDICT: INSIGHTS FOR THE AGES
Joan Chittister, OSB

CHAPTER 13. THE CELEBRATION OF LAUDS ON ORDINARY DAYS
Feb. 15 - June 16 - Oct. 16

On ordinary weekdays, Lauds are celebrated as follows: First, Psalm 67 is said without a refrain and slightly protracted as on Sunday so that everyone can be present for Psalm 51, which has a refrain. Next, according to custom, two more psalms are said in the following order: on Monday, Psalms 5 and 36; on Tuesday, Psalms 43 and 57; on Wednesday, Psalms 64 and 65; on Thursday, Psalms 88 and 90; on Friday, Psalms 76 and 92; on Saturday, Psalm 143 and the Canticle from Deuteronomy, divided into two sections, with the Doxology after each section. On other days, however, a Canticle from the prophets is said, according to the practice of the Roman Church. Next follow Psalms 148 through 150, a reading from the apostle recited by heart, a responsory, an Ambrosian hymn, a versicle, the Gospel canticle, the litany and the conclusion.

In the second psalm of Lauds, Benedict arranges a paean of praise, one after another, every day of the week in psalms 36, 57, 65, 90, 92 until, on Saturday, having lived through everything life has to give that week, on Saturday the community bursts into unending praise for having survived it, learned faith in God from it again, and been saved one more time by a loving God.


CHAPTER 13. THE CELEBRATION OF LAUDS ON ORDINARY DAYS-Continued
Feb. 16 - June 17 - Oct. 17

Assuredly, the celebration of Lauds and Vespers must never pass by without the prioress reciting the entire Prayer of Jesus at the end for all to hear, because thorns of contention are likely to spring up. Thus warned by the pledge they make to one another in the very words of this prayer: "Forgive us as we forgive (Mt. 6:12)," they may cleanse themselves of this kind of vice. At other celebrations, only the final part of this prayer is said aloud, that all may reply: "But deliver us from evil (Mt. 6:13)."

Benedict's prayer form requires a realistic appraisal of community life. The Prayer of Jesus is designed to heal and cement and erase the pain and struggle of community life, of family life, of global life where we all live together at one another's expense.


CHAPTER 14. THE CELEBRATION OF VIGILS ON THE ANNIVERSARIES OF SAINTS
Feb. 17 - June 18 - Oct. 18

On the feasts of saints, and indeed on all solemn festivals, the Sunday order of celebration is followed, although the psalms, refrains and readings proper to the day itself are said. The procedure, however, remains the same as indicated above.

Benedict's theology of prayer is as much attuned to the Communion of Saints, to our connectedness to those who have gone before us in the faith, to those who stand as sign to us that the Christian life is possible, as it is to the feasts that mark the Paschal Mystery of Christ.


CHAPTER 15. THE TIMES FOR SAYING ALLELUIA
Feb. 18 - June 19 - Oct. 19

From the holy feast of Easter until Pentecost, "alleluia" is always said with both the psalms and the responsories. Every night from Pentecost until the beginning of Lent, it is said only with the last six psalms of Vigils. Vigils, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext and None are said with "alleluia" every Sunday except in Lent; at Vespers, however, a refrain is used. "Alleluia" is never said with responsories except from Easter to Pentecost.

To the Benedictine mind, life in all its long nights and weary days is something to be praised, death is the rivet of joy, and there is no end to the positive.


CHAPTER 16. THE CELEBRATION OF THE DIVINE OFFICE DURING THE DAY
Feb. 19 - June 20 - Oct. 20

The prophet says: "Seven times a day have I praised you (Ps. 119:164)." We will fulfill this sacred number of seven if we satisfy our obligations of service at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline, for it was of these hours during the day that it was said: "Seven times a day have I praised you (Ps. 119:164)." Concerning Vigils, the same prophet says: "At midnight I arose to give you praise (Ps. 119:62)." Therefore, we should "praise our Creator for just judgments" at these times: Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; and "let us arise at night to give praise (Ps. 119:164, 62)."

The point is clear: there is to be no time, no thing, that absorbs us so much that we lose contact with the God of life; no stress so tension-producing, no burden so complex, no work so exhausting that God is not our greatest agenda, our constant companion, our rest and our refuge. More, whatever other people worship, we are to keep our minds and hearts on God.


CHAPTER 17. THE NUMBER OF PSALMS TO BE SUNG AT THESE HOURS
Feb. 20 - June 21 - Oct. 21

We have already established the order for psalmody at Vigils and Lauds. Now let us arrange the remaining hours. Three psalms are to be said at Prime, each followed by the Doxology. The hymn for this hour is sung after the opening versicle, "O God, come to my assistance (Ps. 70:2)," before the psalmody begins. One reading follows the three psalms, and the hour is concluded with a versicle, "Christ, have mercy" and the dismissal.

Prayer is celebrated in the same way at Terce, Sext and None: that is, the opening verse, the hymn appropriate to each hour, three psalms, a reading with a versicle, "Christ, have mercy" and the dismissal. If the community is rather large, refrains are used with the psalms; if it is smaller, the psalms are said without refrain.

At Vespers the number of psalms should be limited to four, with refrain. After these psalms there follow: a reading and responsory, an Ambrosian hymn, a versicle, the Gospel canticle, the litany, and, immediately before the dismissal, the Prayer of Jesus.

Compline is limited to three psalms without refrain. After the psalmody comes the hymn for this hour, followed by a reading, a versicle, "Christ, have mercy," a blessing and the dismissal.

Prayer is to be prayer, not a glancing thought, not a shrug or a gesture or a mindless moment of empty daydreaming. It is to be brief, yes. It is not, however, to be superficial.


CHAPTER 18. THE ORDER OF THE PSALMODY
Feb. 21 - June 22 - Oct. 22

Each of the day hours begins with the verse, "O God, come to my assistance; O God, make haste to help me (Ps. 70:2)," followed by the Doxology and the appropriate hymn.

Then, on Sunday at Prime, four sections of Psalm 119 are said. At the other hours, that is, at Terce, Sext and None, three sections of this psalm are said. On Monday three psalms are said at Prime: Psalms 1, 2 and 6. At Prime each day thereafter until Sunday, three psalms are said in consecutive order as far as Psalm 20. Psalms 9 and 18 are each divided into two sections. In this way, Sunday Vigils can always begin with Psalm 21.

The second emphases here is to form a kind of drum beat for the highlight of the next week, the Vigil of Sunday that opens always with psalm 21 that stands as both warning and promise. It details the underlying truth of life: the monastic is to remember, however powerless they may feel, that no ruler is as powerful as God; no ruler deserves our praise as does God; no ruler really rules anyone. However powerful particular rulers may seem, we know that in the end it is God who will prevail, it is God in whom we must put our trust.



CHAPTER 18. THE ORDER OF THE PSALMODY-Continued
Feb. 22 - June 23 - Oct. 23

On Monday at Terce, Sext and None, the remaining nine sections of Psalm 119 are said, three sections at each hour. Psalm 119 is thus completed in two days, Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, three psalms are said at each of the hours of Terce, Sext and None. These are the nine psalms, 120 through 128. The same psalms are repeated at these hours daily up to Sunday. Likewise, the arrangement of hymns, readings and versicles for these days remains the same. In this way, Psalm 119 will always begin on Sunday.

The words are haunting: "When I am in trouble, I call to Yahweh and God answers me..." "Pity us, Yahweh, take pity on us..." and finally, "what marvels indeed Yahweh did for us...for those who once sowing in tears now sing as they reap."


CHAPTER 18. THE ORDER OF THE PSALMODY-Continued
Feb. 23 - June 24 - Oct. 24

Four psalms are sung each day at Vespers, starting with Psalm 110 and ending with Psalm 147, omitting the psalms in this series already assigned to other hours, namely, Psalms 118 through 128, Psalm 134 and Psalm 143. All the remaining psalms are said at Vespers. Since this leaves three psalms too few, the longer ones in the series should be divided: that is, Psalms 139, 144 and 145. And because Psalm 117 is short, it can be joined to Psalm 116. This is the order of psalms for Vespers; the rest is as arranged above: the reading, responsory, hymn, versicle and canticle.

Wisdom psalms were not liturgical hymns of lament or praise. They were meant to instruct the assembly in divine truths and were often built on the alphabet in order to make memorization easier.


CHAPTER 18. THE ORDER OF THE PSALMODY-Continued
Leap year - Feb. 24 - June 25 - Oct. 25

The same psalms-4, 91 and 134-are said each day at Compline. The remaining psalms not accounted for in this arrangement for the day hours are distributed evenly at Vigils over the seven nights of the week. Longer psalms are to be divided so that twelve psalms are said each night.

Above all else we urge that if anyone finds this distribution of the psalms unsatisfactory, they should arrange whatever they judge better, provided that the full complement of one hundred and fifty psalms is by all means carefully maintained every week, and that the series begins anew each Sunday at Vigils.

For members who in a week's time say less than the full Psalter with the customary canticles betray extreme indolence and lack of devotion in their service. We read, after all, that our holy ancestors, energetic as they were, did all this in a single day. Let us hope that we, lukewarm as we are, can achieve it in a whole week.

Compline, the night prayer of the community was built around three psalms designed to do what we all need to do at night: recognize that what we did that day was not perfect, hope that the next day will be better, praise the God whose love and grace brought us through another day and go to bed trusting that the God who sees our every action is more concerned with our motives than with our failures.


CHAPTER 19. THE DISCIPLINE OF PSALMODY
Feb. 24(25) - June 26 - Oct. 26

We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and "that in every place the eyes of God are watching the good and the wicked (Prov. 15:3)." But beyond the least doubt we should believe this to be especially true when we celebrate the divine office.

We must always remember, therefore, what the prophet says: "Serve God with reverence (Ps. 2:11)," and again, "Sing praise wisely (Ps. 47:8);" and, "In the presence of the angels I will sing to you (Ps. 138:1)." Let us consider, then, how we ought to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices.

Prayer, in the spirit of these chapters, if we "sing praise wisely," or well, or truly, becomes a furnace in which every act of our lives is submitted to the heat and purifying process of the smelter's fire so that our minds and our hearts, our ideas and our lives, come to be in sync, so that we are what we say we are, so that the prayers that pass our lips change our lives, so that God's presence becomes palpable to us.


CHAPTER 20. REVERENCE IN PRAYER
Feb. 25(26) - June 27 - Oct. 27

Whenever we want to ask a favor of someone powerful, we do it humbly and respectfully, for fear of presumption. How much more important, then, to lay our petitions before the God of All with the utmost humility and sincere devotion. We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words. Prayer should therefore be short and pure, unless perhaps it is prolonged under the inspiration of divine grace. In community, however, prayer should always be brief; and when the prioress gives the signal, all should rise together.

Benedictine prayer is to be short and substantial and real. The rest of life is to be impelled by it. To live in church, as far as Benedict is concerned, is not necessarily a sign of holiness. To live always under the influence of the scriptures and to live in the breath of the Spirit is.


CHAPTER 21. THE DEANS OF THE MONASTERY
Feb. 26(27) - June 28 - Oct. 28

If the community is rather large, some chosen for their good repute and holy life should be made deans. They will take care of their groups of ten, managing all affairs according to the commandments of God and the orders of their prioress. Anyone selected as a dean should be the kind of person with whom the prioress can confidently share the burdens of her office. They are to be chosen for virtuous living and wise teaching, not for their rank.

If perhaps one of these deans is found to be puffed up with any pride, and so deserving of censure, she is to be reproved once, twice and even a third time. Should she refuse to amend, she must be removed from office and replaced by another who is worthy. We prescribe the same course of action in regard to the subprioress.

Whoever the leaders, the central thesis of the chapter remains: the community belongs to the community. Its sanctity and success does not rise and fall on the shoulders of one leader alone. It rises and falls on the shoulders of its members. What they are the community shall be.


CHAPTER 22. THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS OF MONASTICS
Feb. 27(28) - June 29 - Oct. 29

Members are to sleep in separate beds. They receive bedding as provided by the prioress, suitable to monastic life. If possible, all are to sleep in one place, but should the size of the community preclude this, they will sleep in groups of ten or twenty under the watchful care of elders. A lamp must be kept burning in the room until morning.

They sleep clothed and girded with belts or cords; but they should remove their knives, lest they accidentally cut themselves in their sleep. Thus the members will always be ready to arise without delay when the signal is given; each will hasten to arrive at the Opus Dei before the others, yet with all dignity and decorum. The younger members should not have their beds next to each other, but interspersed among those of the elders. On arising for the Opus Dei, they will quietly encourage each other, for the sleepy like to make excuses.

What is important in the paragraph is not so much the sleeping arrangement itself as the underlying caution it presents to an era in which independence, individualism and personal space have become values of such magnitude that they threaten the communal quality of the globe itself. The question becomes: What part of our lives do we really practice with others? Has our claim to the private and the personal evicted the world from our space, from our hearts?


CHAPTER 23. EXCOMMUNICATION FOR FAULTS
Feb. 28(29) - June 30 - Oct. 30

If anyone is found to be stubborn or disobedient or proud, if she grumbles or in any way despises the Rule and defies the orders of the elders, she should be warned twice privately by them in accord with Christ's injunction (Mt. 18:15-16). If she does not amend, she must be rebuked publicly in the presence of everyone. But if even then she does not reform, let her be excommunicated, provided that she understands the nature of this punishment. If however she lacks understanding let her undergo corporal punishment.

Benedict does not punish severely for everything. He does not punish for incompetence or lack of spiritual intensity or ignorance or weaknesses of the flesh. No, Benedict punishes harshly only for the grumbling that undermines authority in a community and the rebellion that paralyzes it. Benedict punishes severely only for the destruction of the sense of community itself.